


Bucket list

by Frustracja



Category: Norman Reedus - Fandom, Real Person Fiction, The Walking Dead RPF
Genre: Andrew Lincoln - Freeform, Bucket List, Eventual Smut, F/M, Following dreams, New Friendship, Norman Reedus - Freeform, Travelling US, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-05-18 23:16:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19344667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frustracja/pseuds/Frustracja
Summary: With only three things left to cross out of her bucket list, Maya is determined to fullfill the promise she gave to her dying fiance. First step, the Walker Stalker con.





	1. A cup of coffee

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first fan fiction, so please be kind ;) Also, any feedback is greatly appreciated!
> 
> I do not own Norman Reedus or Andrew Lincoln. Probably never will. This work is pure fiction, of course.

Maya was queuing in a huge photo ops line. It seemed neverending, and she felt extremely tired at that point. It was her first time at the Walker Stalker, and the crowds, noise and lack of sleep drained the tiny bit od energy she had, when she joined the queue. ' _Just that one photo_ ', she reminded herself, ' _One photo and one more line for the autograph tomorrow. You can do it_ '. Her body, however, didn't want to agree with her mind. She needed sleep.

Her flight to Atlanta landed this morning, after long 9 hours in the air. Before she boarded the plane, she had to say goodbye to all her friends and family members, and after she fastened her seatbelt, emotions took over keeping her wide awake staring into darnkness outside of the window of the aircraft. Which resulted in total 28 hours without sleep by now. And jet lag wasn't helping either.

A girl from popular Couchsurfing internet platform was waiting for her at arrivals with a large cup of coffee. Thank god for her. She was aware that Maya didn't have enough time to make it to her apartment before the Walker Stalker, so she just picked up her backpack and gave her spare keys to her place.

And here she was, her first convention, first time in the United States, and she wasn't even awake enough to enjoy the experience. Stupid.

To be fair, the line was moving pretty fast. It was just unbelievably long. And at the end of the line was no one else, but famous Norman Reedus. She should be nervous. Or excited. Probably both. But for now, she was sleepy. ' _Maybe_ _they_ _will_ _think_ _I'm_ _really_ _good_ _at_ _cosplaying_ _walkers_ ', she thought to herself without amusement. Thank god she stopped by to take a shower at the airport, at least she didn't smell as dead as she looked.

Finally, there was just a couple of excited, swooning girls in front of her, she could now see the flash of the camera and plenty of people trying their best to coordinate the queue. She ran her fingers through her hair, but she doubted it helped much to make her look presentable.

She was called forward, introduced to a few rules with "NO kissing and NO biting!" beeing highlighted two times and before her blank mind could process any more, she was standing in front of him.

He was so familiar. After numerous inteviews, movies and public appearances, he just felt like a good friend she didn't see for some time.

"Come here, sweetheart" he extended his hand with a friendly smile. His voice calm. Familiar. "Rough day, huh?"

Maya let out a small laugh, but her brain didn't come up with any response. She walked five steps forward and stood next to him. Norman gave her an understanding look, and then he took off his sunglasses.

"Here. We will have the most dead photo in a con history." He chuckled and put his arms around her waist. There was a countdown from three and they both looked at the camera man. And then it was done.

One of the volunteers rushed to her to get the line moving.

"Thanks, Norman!" she looked up at him and realised that she wasn't the only one who was lacking sleep at the moment. His eyes were focused on her with a reassuring warmth, but dark circles under them were telling the brutal truth about working at big events as a main star. He gave her another small hug and when she turned to walk away, she heard him calling after her.

"Hey! Take this. I think you need it more than I do." he handed her a half-full cup of warm coffee. She laughed at this gesture and took it, but before she could say something, next person was already approaching and she was forced to move out of the way.


	2. Does he smell nice?

There was a noise when the window was pushed open and cold morning air touched Maya's face. She opened her eyes and stared at the small yellow stars decorating the ceiling above her. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up yet. This old thing gets stuck sometimes and needs a stronger push" Jane's voice was apologetic.

"It's fine, I have to get ready soon anyway."

Maya stretched her body on the matteress laid on the floor. It was always weird at first, waking up in someone's house. Jane accepted her Couchsurfing request last minute and they didn't have much chance to talk before she arrived. Maya felt a bit guilty about that. She wasn't much of a talker yesterday after she got back from the con. Hell, she barely remembered last evening. She went to sleep almost immidiately, her tired body finally giving up. Now it was time to get ready for her second day at Walker Stalker and after that she would just pop in to grab her things and be on her way. Not very friendly on her part.

She sighed and got up, hoping to catch Jane in the kitchen. And kitchens usually had coffees. Double win.

She was going through Jane's cupboards in search for mugs, water was already boiling. She found the coffee and was almost ready to start the day. She finally pulled huge mug with a teddy bear on it and filled it with coffee blend and hot water. God, it smelled so good. It smelled like hope, that today is going to be a better day. Jane entered the kitched and sat on the high bar stool.

"That's a nice picture you brought yesterday!" She was holding Maya's photo ops picture in her hands. Maya snorted and burned her lips with coffee. "Seriously! I've never seen this guy smile on pictures with fans! This is nice, you too look good on it, girl!" To be honest, Maya didn't remember what the photo looked like. If she looked at it yesterday, she didn't memorise a single detail. But it couldn't possibly be a good photo.

"Got a feel of those gorgeous arms, hm?" Jane was still analysing the pic. "Does he smell nice?" Ok, that was enough. She had to see what Jane was talking about. She put down her coffee and walked behind her host to have a look.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a bad picture. She didn't look nearly as dead as she felt. She was standing in front of Norman, his arms holding her waist and hers placed on his biceps. They both looked at the camera with a wide smiles and there was some truth to it. She didn't remember that pose and for sure, she didn't remember grinning like an idiot.

"I don't know, I didn't smell him! Pretty sure it was on the list of restricted activities with him." She let out a small laugh. In all honesty, her brain didn't register much from her encounter with Norman. Just the fact that it was done. Oh, and coffee. ' _He_ _gave_ _me_ _his_ _coffee_. _I_ _could_ _return_ _the_ _favour_ _today_.' She wasn't sure if they let her anywhere near him with a hot liquid, but it was worth a try.

"Actually, I got you something yesterday" Suddenly Maya remembered a small package she bought of one of the vendors. She rushed to the room and came back with her hands outstretched. In the palm of her hand was a box with a Daryl Dixon action figure.

Jane looked at her surprised and stood up to give her a hug.

"Thanks! You really didn't have to!" She took the box and smiled.

"Go on, open it!"

Jane raised her eyebrows and with a help of a kitchen knife she opened the box. She held Daryls's action figure and started playing with it.

"So...?" Maya asked with a curious smile. Jane looked at her. "Does he smell nice?"

"Oh, shut up!" Jane let out a laugh and smelled the miniature. "Actually, smells much better than I expected, the show is misleading!"

After breakfast, Maya started packing up her things. Jane was sitting next to her on the bed still playing with her new toy.

"So where will you go after?"

Maya shrugged and raised her head. "I don't know. Just north, I guess. Wherever my fate takes me." She smiled

"Aren't you scared?"

"Not really, I've done it before. Fun fact: not everyone is a rapist or a murderer" she winked. "Even if my mum still thinks so."

"I have to try it one day. Hitchhiking sounds like fun, just way out of my comfort zone right now."

It was time for Maya to get moving. Girls exchanged hugs and phone numbers.

"Good luck!"

"Thanks, there is never enough of it!"

Maya shut the door to Jane's apartment and made her way to the convention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once the story picks up, I promise that the chapters will be longer. I will try to update this story quite often.  
> Let me know what you think! :)


	3. Everest

She was dead wrong. There was no need to worry about her approaching him with a hot coffee. The coffee simply wasn't hot for at least an hour and a half by now. Sure, there was still question if they allow her present him with any liquid. It would be so easy to slip something in there. Drugs. Laxatives. Maybe even some kind of poison.

Maya sighed. She spent over an hour searching the internet to find out how he likes his coffee. Apparently, Norman didn't share that information with public. Of course, the easiest way to find out would be remembering what was in the cup he handed to her a day before. But she didn't pay attention and right now couldn't even remember if he had milk in it. She decided to just go with simple and stong black coffee. They sure had some sugar or maybe even milk if he needed it.

She wasn't that far from his table, but the line wasn't moving as fast as she hoped. Time was running out and she was afraid that she will be leaving Atlanta late in the evening. It wasn't ideal considering she planned to hitchhike.

From where she was standing, she could finally have a better look at him. His sunglasses were back on his nose and he wore black T-shirt and one of his hats from Ride. There was a colorful pile of gifts from his fans next to his right elbow. He was holding hand of a really nervous teenage girl and signing her photo. Maya smiled and jumped a bit when her phone rang. She didn't recognise the number.

"Hello?"

"I can't believe it's happening to me. It's Jane, I'm calling from my office. I lost my fucking bag!"

"Jane? When was the last time you had it? Do you want me to come over and help you look for it?"

"No, it's fine. I mean, it's not, I had my phone and wallet in there, now I have to make a run and sort everything out. I'm just calling to let you know that I won't be home when you come to collect your things. There is a spare key with the building security guard, I let him know you are coming to pick up your backpack... I just can't believe how stupid I am."

"You will be fine, maybe someone finds it and bring it back, there are still honest people out there!"

"Yeah..." Jane didn't sound convinced and she let out a heavy sigh. "Anyway, how it's going? Have you met him yet?"

"Not yet, but any moment now. I'm actually kinda nervous today, I will have to say something to him and anything I try in my head either makes me sound dumb or like an ass. Still haven't decided which one I prefer."

Jane giggled on the other side. Small success.

"I will message you once I get a new number, fingers crossed for both of us today. Have fun and don't worry too much. It's few minutes and you will never see him again, even if he remembers you as a dumb ass."

"That sounds really hopeful, thanks! And good luck, text me when you have everything under control!"

"Will do, take care Maya!"

Jane hang up and Maya realised she is only one person away from Norman. She squeezed a photo and a small notebook she was holding in her left hand. She felt her hands becoming sweaty and a coffee cup was now visibly shaking. Breath in. Breath out. Jane was right, it's only a minute and it will be over. Breath in.

A lady asked her to spell the name for the photo signing process.

"John." She said in a weak voice and passed her photo from yesterday over. No one mentioned the coffee yet.

"Next!"

Breath out.

She looked up and saw Norman waving to the girl just leaving his table. She stepped forward and outstretched the hand with the coffee awkwardly. Breathe. Just breathe.

He raised his eyebrows looking at her with a grin.

"That for me?"

She nodded her head and the words finally came back to her. "Yes, payback for yesterday. I made it home thanks to that coffee so thank you."

Norman took the cup from her and quickly caught her sweaty hand in his. He hold it tight and it was a little bit reassuring.

"I would never recognise you girl, I guess some sleep did wonders, huh?" He smiled to her and looked at their photo. "John? That's an original name you have."

"Actually, you will be signing it for my fiance. My name is Maya."

"Is that a break up picture then? Should I add something to make his head spin?"

Maya laughed and shook her head. "Not exactly." She looked at him when he was signing the picture. One out of the way. Suddenly, she wasn't stressed out anymore.

"Is there anything else you want me to sign?" He was looking at the notebook she was still pressing tightly against her chest.

"Yes. This is our bucket list. We've completed almost everything, and meeting you is quite high up there."

His eyes widened behind his sunglasses as he reached for the notebook and opened it on first page.

"You have climbed Mount Everest?!"

"And believe me it was about same money as paying for tickets and your photo ops. Just easier to organise."

He looked up at her and laughed outloud.

"This is just mean. So what else do you have left? Hitchhiking to Alaska, seeing northern lights there and sky diving?"

"Yes, I will be on my way with my thumb up right after the convention. If you can find a page with your name on it and sign it for me, I will be crossing out another point from the list." Maya smiled at him while he shook his head and looked for the right page to sign. Every point from the bucket list had separate page for "evidence", tickets, photos, signatures, pieces of clothing, dried flowers etc. It was a miracle the whole thing was still intact.

"So why John is not here?"

Maya's throat suddenly clenched and she couldn't answer. She pulled her hand back from Norman's and started playing with her hair. He looked up at her after signing the page with a surprised look on his face.

"He never made it back from Everest." Her voice was quiet, but he heard. "I promised him that I will complete every point from that list."

Norman loudly sucked air into his lungs and got up.

"Come here." With his arms outstretched he walked around the table and hugged her pressing her head to his shoulder with one hand. "I'm so sorry."

She just couldn't bring herself to reply with "it's ok". Nothing was ok anymore. She felt tears coming up so she swallowed hard and nodded her head.

"Yeah, me too."

She felt awkward and a bit ashamed bringing up John's death. Norman didn't have to know it and she could only imagine how uncomfortable he was right now. She slowly pulled away from his embrace. He was still holding her hands when he looked at her.

"So if I text you in few months, you will be in Alaska?"

She gave him weak smile and shook her head. "I will need longer than that, there is still some places on the way I want to see."

"Leave me your number."

"Excuse me?"

"I will check on you in half a year!" He walked back to his place and passed her the photo and her notebook. "I want to know if you made it!" He looked around and then gave her the coffee cup she brought him. "Write it on this. That is, if you don't mind."

It was unreal and Maya felt she was being pranked. She reached for a pen with a shaky hand and wrote her number down for him. He wouldn't call or text her, that much she knew. In half a year he won't even remember she exists and someone is probably gonna clean that cup off his table soon. She passed him the coffee and pen back.

"Good luck, Maya. And thanks for the coffee." He smiled at her and winked.

"You are welcome, Norman. Sorry, it's no longer warm."

She looked at him for the last time, nodded and left the table.


	4. Camping

Oooh, it's been a while. Two years to the day, to be exact, since she came back from her last trip. Alone. At the thought of it, Maya felt something in her throat swelling up again.

Now it was her first ever hitchhiking trip on her own. She partially forgot how it is, standing and burning in full sun with a wide smile plastered to her face, waving at the passing cars. Cities were the worst to catch a lift. Way too many cars, people were busy, no one was paying attention to anything else but their business. Late hour wasn't helping either. Before she got out from the convention centre, collected her things and mailed signed photo back home, it was already way after dark. She made her way to the starting point of a highway exiting the city and waited. Her back and arms were killing her, not used to carrying heavy load anymore. Although she packed only necessities, her tent, extra bottles of water, winter clothes and sleeping bag were all together still significant weight to put on her shoulders. She will get used to it in a week, as always, but for now she was in pain.

The moment Maya started to wonder if anyone will stop for her today, she saw a small truck slow down and park a little bit ahead of her. She picked up her backpack and quickly run to it. The driver, a chubby guy who seemed to be in his 60s and was rocking an impressive mustache on his face, lowered the passenger window.

"Where to, miss?"

She couldn't be picky at this point or she will end up sleeping behind one of the McDonald's next to the road. "Anywhere that's out of the city!" She gave him her biggest smile.

The driver chuckled and nodded his head. "Hop on." She opened the door and after thanking him twice, dropped her backpack at the back of the car. Then she sat in the front passanger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"I'm Maya. Thanks again for picking me up, it's been a long day." He started the car and started driving.

"Sam. I'm heading to Cleveland, if that's out of Atlanta enough for you" he gave her quick look and focused back on the road. "I can't say that being on your own at that time of the day, trying to catch a lift, strikes me as a smart idea... But I guess it's too late for lecture now."

She gave him another smile. She got that a lot, people worrying, warning her about the dangers of being a girl chatting up to strangers. He said he was going to Cleveland, but she didn't want to leave Georgia yet. She could probably set up her tent not far outside the city, get some rest and start fresh tomorrow morning. The question was, will he be willing leaving her somewhere on the road in the middle of nowhere. She highly doubt it.

Sam lowered his window and lit a cigarette. He extented the pack offering her one.

"Thanks, I don't smoke. I quit few years ago."

"Every day I'm telling myself I will finally do that. But I guess I like it too much." He inhaled deeply and let the smoke fill his lungs. "So what do you have in that huge bag of yours?"

"Currently, my whole life." She laughed and relaxed in her seat. He seemed friendly and she could let her guard down.

It wasn't long, maybe a fourty minutes into driving, when she spot a turn for a camping ground and a lake. Perfect. He shouldn't give her hard time about going camping, right?

"Sam, can you stop here?" He slowed down and stopped the car.

"You can come to Cleveland with me, if you want. My wife is waiting with late supper and I have a daughter about your age. We can feed you, you can shower and sleep in bed, not on a hard camping ground floor."

She touched his arm and gave him her best smile. "This is very kind and I really appreciate that, but this spot here is perfect for my needs today. Thank you." He slowly nodded his head and reached inside his pocket to pick up his wallet. He handed her his card.

"If you are ever in the area, give me a call. The offer stands, feel invited whenever you need a roof over your head." She took a photo of the card to make sure she won't lose it and shook Sam's hand. "Thanks again. You prove again that there are good people in this world."

Maya climbed out of the car and strapped the backpack on her shoulders. She waved after him while he drove away and then turned into the forest, going around the big camping ground. She wanted to find a quiet spot next to the lake, uninterrupted by other people.

It was way past 11pm when she was done setting her tent and boiling some water for a coffee. She still had to wait a bit before going to sleep to see if they didn't have any security walking around. The place she found was nice, shaded by tall trees, yet close to the water. No one should be able to spot her here until morning. She felt her phone buzz and reached for it to check her messages. It had to be Jane.

"So how was your day? Did you manage to get out of Atlanta?" She smiled and started typing a reply. So Jane sorted out a new number, hopefully she somehow got everything else under control by now too.

"I did! I'm in a really nice spot next to some camping grounds not far from the city. I even have a lake, might go for a swim! What about you, did you sort out everything you needed?"

And after a moment she sent another text giggling like a teenager.

"P.S. Norman does smell nice!"

Her phone started ringing few seconds after she sent the message, same number flashing on her screen.

"Hello?"

Her stomach dropped to the ground and the smile froze on her face. It wasn't Jane.

It was Norman.


	5. Ride with Norman Reedus

She would recognise that voice anywhere. Maya heard a low chuckle on the other side of the phone call followed by a short "Hi!". She couldn't bring herself to speak. The words have left her and she started to seriously consider hanging up, stepping on her cell phone, dropping it in the lake and changing number. Why on earth was he calling her?  
Her long silence clearly was asking for some kind of explanaition, but Norman didn't figure out the right kind.

  
"It's Norman."

  
Like she didn't know. She was absolutely mortified. Why did she have to send out that stupid second text? Who does that?! Who goes out and smell people only to brag about it to the others. Clearly, she does. Oh, god...

  
"You may not remember me, I was that guy who was signing your photo today? Sunglasses, great smile, good taste in cologne..." he couldn't stop himself from laughing again. "Does that ring a bell?"  
Maya groaned and covered her eyes with her second hand.  
"Oh god, why?" She asked in a low voice, her face burning up.  
"I was just checking if the number works... Am I calling at a bad time?" He had way too much fun with her suffering and that ignited a spark on some deep level under her embarassment.  
"At a bad time? You are about 6 months too early!"  
He laughed again, a clear, honest laugh.  
"Yeah, I bailed early from the after convention party. Was planning to drive my bike home and I'm not big on sober partying."  
"That doesn't explain why are you calling me?"  
"If you were still in Atlanta I could give you a ride, maybe grab a beer. You planning on sleeping soon?"  
"Right now I'm probably planning on drowning myself..."  
"Do you mind if I come and watch you try?"  
What the actual fuck. What in hell...  
"Sure, just hurry up, I'm kinda in rush here."  
"On my way!"

He hang up and left her sitting in absolute silence, facing her humiliation. She wasn't sure if she wasn't losing her mind. Or maybe she passed out from exhaustion and will soon wake up safe in her tent. Most of the water she was boiling for coffee evaporated already. She didn't need any coffee anymore, to be honest. Any signs of fatigue has left her since she picked up the phone. For a moment she started panicking that he will in fact come to see her, but then she remembered that she didn't give him location. Kinda weird that he just finished the conversation like that. But then again, it was weird that that conversation even happened in the first place.

  
The feeling of shame became to fade slowly and now Maya started to see the funny side of her mistake. She started giggling and then laughing uncontrollably. Maybe a short swim wasn't a bad idea in the end. She needed to cool down and the refreshing lake was shining invitingly in the full moon. She got up and removed her shoes and socks, feeling soft grass and patches of sand under her feet. It felt good. Appreciating the freedom, she removed her T-shirt and trousers and let her hair fall down on her back.

  
Maya moved closer to the lake and dipped her toes in the shimmering water. It was plesantly cold after the scorching heat she experienced today. She slowly moved forward until the water was reaching her waist, then dived down and started swimming. Her body was cooling down quickly and soon she turned on her back, just floating and admiring the night sky. With millions of starts above her, she started counting them and then gave up. There were too many. Once she closed her eyes, she could still see them, flashing down on her, and she let herself giggle at the happy feeling expanding in her chest. She didn't feel happy in a very long time, but here, right now, with water caressing her tired body, stars winking at her and crickets concerting in the nearby bushes, she felt peacefull and calm. Alive.

  
Loud motorcycle roar disturbed her meditative state. She opened her eyes and lifted her head looking around. She didn't see anything yet, but the noise was becoming louder and louder every second. Maya felt panic replacing that warm and fuzzy feeling in her stomach. Maybe she shouldn't feel so safe in the end. Quickly, she started swimming towards the shore, picked up her clothes and ran to the tent to grab a towel. The noise died down and everything went very quiet for a moment. Even crickets seemed to vanish. She struggled to pull her clothes on her wet body when her phone started ringing. She looked down at the number and suddenly she knew who spooked her a few moments ago.

  
"Hello?" She tried to steady her breathing and dry her wet hair with a towel.  
"I think I found the place, but I'm having problems finding you" Norman's voice trailed off. "Um, can you wave or something?"  
She could barely hear his voice over her erratic heart thumping loudly in her chest.

  
"Just get down to the lake, you should see me from there..." she exited her tent, looking around. Soon, she started hearing footsteps in the forest followed by a loud swearing. Norman clearly was trying to drag his bike through the thick bushes and failing. Finally, he emerged from the forest line.

She didn't have time to freak out, so she raised her hand and waved at him. He stopped, looking at her. He looked a bit shy and unsure what to do next. Maya lowered her hand and let him secure his bike, but he didn't move in her direction and she sure as hell didn't plan to make it any easier for him. It was his crazy idea and she had no clue how did he find her or why. In her opinion it was a little too late to be awkward about it. But damn, did he look good. She couldn't help but notice his wide shoulders underneath a leather jacket and his bright eyes scanning her from under his unruly hair. Bad boy.  
Only his behavior didn't match his looks. He turned around and grabbed a bottle of wine he brought with him. Then, finally, he started walking towards her small camp.

  
"How did you find me?" She watched him stopping in front of her and accepted the bottle he handed to her. She needed a drink.

  
"There aren't many places like that around Atlanta, so I decided to go around and check if anything fits your description" he shrugged, his voice still quiet. "Wanted to thank you for the coffee."  
"Oh. Did you drink it?"  
"Yeah, yeah. It was awful, but I appreciate the gesture." He gave her a playful look and his lips formed small smile.  
"Wow, I didn't need to know that you hated it." Maya started laughing at his bluntness. "You want to sit down?"

  
He nodded and moved forward to the nearest patch of grass where he sat down. She followed his lead. He removed the wine bottle from her hands and got busy opening it.

  
"So you slept in the tent in the city last night?"  
"No, I was couchsurfing." His eyebrows raised high enough to let her know that he has no idea what that means. "It's like a website, where travelers can request to sleep in their host's house for few nights."  
"Do you know them? The hosts?"  
Maya shook her head. "You check who is offering a place to sleep at your destination and then you write them request detailing when and how many nights do you need. You also write something about yourself, so they know who they let into their home."  
"People do that?"  
"Yes, we started some amazing friendships that way. And it's always better than the hotel, you get the recommendations what to see or where to eat from a local person. Often they will take you around and show their favourite spots themselves."  
Norman nodded his head and passed her open bottle of wine. Without hesitation, she drank few solid gulps.

  
"Actually, I wanted to ask you something." He had her attention now. Maybe she could finally figure out what was he doing here with her in the middle of the night.  
"I was thinking maybe you want to come with me and crash at my place." He side eyed her becoming all nervous. "You can have your own bedroom, not a couch."  
Silence that followed his words was ringing in her ears. She wanted to find out what was that about but no words were coming to her. She took another big sip of the wine.  
"I have five days off before my next convention. We could go around sightseeing together. If you want."  
Maya kept quiet waiting for him to burst out laughing and telling her she is being pranked. He bit his lip and raised his hand to play with his hair. Not getting any reponse, he continued.

  
"I have Andy coming to mine tomorrow, he will wait a day for his flight. You can meet him and we can go the next morning."  
Oh, great. Andy was coming. It's time to wake up, brain. The joke's on me.  
"Say something."  
"Why would you want that?"  
He bit his thumb and shrugged his shoulders.  
"I've never done something like it. Ride is closest to it, but you have camera crew follow you everywhere. That bucket list looked great and I was thinking about it all day."  
She nodded and had some more wine. It was slowly getting to her head, she felt detached from her body weirdly relaxed.  
"Is that a yes?" He gave her shy smile.  
"I don't believe you are serious, but if you are... that's a yes."  
"Let's pack up your stuff!" He jumped back on his feet and helped her up.

  
In next 10 minutes, Maya was packed and ready to go. Her head was spinning, she almost finished the bottle by herself. Norman was strapping the backpack securely to the motorcycle, then he took off his jacket.  
"Here, wear this. You will be cold" He also equipped her with helmet. The jacket was warm and soft and smelled like him. Small smile formed on Maya's face. "I've never done it before." He raised his brows.  
"The motorcycle. I've never been on one."  
"Just hold on tight and don't let go. You gonna ride with Norman Reedus!" He chuckled and started the engine. She wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes.

  
The night has just started.


End file.
